Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France is the main character of the series. He is the King of France and Navarre, the son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, the husband of Marie-Thérèse of Spain and the elder brother of Philippe. Personality Louis likes the finer things in life, and liked to use money to boast about what he could achieve - hence the building of Versailles. He put his duties as a king first, but he also had a softer side when it came to people in his life, like Henriette. He is envious of this brother, Philippe's, freedom. He wishes he could have the same, but being King is very important to him. He can be seen to have a strong personality, especially when he is butting heads with his brother. The fact that they do not see eye to eye made things difficult for Louis, but the smooth running of both Versailles and France were paramount to him. Biography Early Life Louis XIV was born on 5 September 1638 in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. He was named Louis Dieudonné (Louis the God-given) and bore the traditional title of French heirs apparent: Dauphin. At the time of his birth, his parents had been married for 23 years. His mother had experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631. Leading contemporaries thus regarded him as a divine gift and his birth a miracle of God. Sensing imminent death, Louis XIII decided to put his affairs in order in the spring of 1643, when Louis XIV was four years old. In defiance of custom, which would have made Queen Anne the sole Regent of France, the king decreed that a regency council would rule on his son's behalf. His lack of faith in Queen Anne's political abilities was his primary rationale. He did, however, make the concession of appointing her head of the council. It was his mother who gave Louis his belief in the absolute and divine power of his monarchical rule. During his childhood, he was taken care of by the governesses Françoise de Lansac and Marie-Catherine de Senecey. In 1646, Nicolas V de Villeroy became the young king's tutor. Louis XIV became friends with Villeroy's young children, particularly François de Villeroy, and divided his time between the Palais-Royal and the nearby Hotel de Villeroy. Season One N/A Season Two N/A Season Three N/A Relationships Philippe of France Louis XIV and his brother have a tense relationship and much like most siblings they do not always see eye to eye. Louis envies Philippe's freedom and wishes he could have the same, but as King, he cannot. Marie-Thérèse of Spain Louis does not appear to have an exceptionally close relationship with his wife, choosing instead to have a string of mistresses. However, their relationship is not hostile. Henriette of England The only reason Louis arranged for Henriette to marry Philippe was for more than an alliance with England, but just keep tabs on her. He shared a romantic history with her her that he never had with Marie-Thérèse. Henriette was the love of his life, and Louis, knowing his brother was gay and in love with another, chose him as the husband. Madame de Montespan N/A Louise de la Vallière A lover who bore him a number of children before joining a nunnery Scarron N/A Duke of Rohan Louis called Rohan his friend and a trusted ally. His trust for him was unlimited and allowed him full access to Versailles. Once he learned of Rohan's true intentions, that trust burned away. Alexandre Bontemps Bontemps is Louis's valet and personal aide. He is often nearby in order to quickly assist or offer his advice to Louis. Fabien Marchal As Head of Security for the Royal Family, it is Fabien's duty to protect Louis XVI and the rest of the royal family. Fabien must investigate individuals that are deemed a threat to Louis, and, if necessary, eliminate them. Claudine Masson Louis and Claudine's relationship remains neutral. As a skilled medic, Louis admired said skills that she had for being a woman in that time period. He honored her work in particular when Henriette fell ill. Jacques N/A Historical Facts N/A Gallery | |[[Category:Characters]]||}} Category:Royal Family Category:French Category:Nobles Category:History Category:Versailles Category:House of Bourbon Category:Crown Royals